The present invention relates to a fuel management, in particular a fuel management system for monitoring and minimizing a fuel consumption of an aircraft.
To carry out their missions passenger aircraft require large quantities of aircraft fuel (kerosene). The total weight of the fuel and the fuel system can account for up to 50% of the total weight of the aircraft. Due to strong rises in oil prices over recent times, and due to ever increasing requirements relating to emissions and climate protection, measures for saving fuel are assuming special significance.
Fuel systems are, for example, known from US 2005 028 513, CA 2 472 276, DE 60 2004 000 178, EP 1 505 280, ES 2 253 726, FR 2 858 658, U.S. Pat. No. 7,082,767, and from EP 1 963 184, WO 2007 071 909.
During pre-flight planning, a quantity of aircraft fuel to be taken on board is estimated, which quantity is sufficient assuming normal flight conditions on a flight route to be covered. Such an estimate is based on model assumptions relating to the flight conditions, and furthermore takes into account parameters, which are more or less precisely known, that influence fuel consumption, such parameters being, for example, the total loaded weight of the aircraft etc.
For safety reasons a certain percentage is added as a reserve to this estimated quantity of aircraft fuel in order to have sufficient fuel left in case of unforeseen events or flight conditions, and in this way to increase flight safety. The quantity of reserve fuel to be carried on board is usually predetermined by safety guidelines from the relevant aviation authorities. At present it is considered adequate to carry along 5% of the estimated required fuel quantity in addition as a reserve in order to have an adequate safety margin in every case.
One option for reducing the quantity of aircraft fuel carried on board, and thus also for reducing the weight of the aircraft, consists of reducing the additionally carried quantity of reserve fuel to a lower percentage rate. However, by means of suitable additional measures it must be ensured that the level of flight safety is not reduced as a result of this.
It can thus be considered to be an object of the present invention to provide an improved fuel management system that can make it possible to increase or maintain the safety level, even if the quantity of reserve fuel carried in addition is reduced.